


Kissing Lessons

by americanbaekhyun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Donghyuck is a freshman, Donghyuck is a lil dominant, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Mark doesn't know how to kiss, Mark has a girlfriend, Mark is a sophomore, Platonic Kissing, sorry jungeun ily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americanbaekhyun/pseuds/americanbaekhyun
Summary: Mark has a girlfriend but doesn't know how to kiss.Donghyuck offers to give him lessons.





	Kissing Lessons

Mark had a relatively stable life. Stable enough for a sophomore in college. A great relationship with his freshman roommate, Donghyuck, sufficient grades, and a lovely girlfriend named Jungeun. He woke up early every weekday for his AM classes and found himself motivated to get through them so he could find a party to go to on Friday. But there was a drawback, as there are to most good things in life.

 

Mark didn’t know how to kiss.

 

He’d kissed people before, he wasn’t completely isolated. There was that pretty senior boy when he was in his junior year of high school—Jaehyun, was it?—who ended up criticizing him for his rather lame kissing skills. There was a girl his freshman year of college that he hooked up with at a party, who laughed in his face when he asked her for her number. It had gotten to the point where Jungeun was becoming disappointed when he wouldn’t kiss her. “It’s not you, really,” Mark wanted to say, “it’s that I’ll embarrass myself.”

 

“And you really wanna. . . y’know, hook up with her?” Donghyuck asked skeptically, his gum smacking the inside of his mouth as he tossed a stress ball up and down on a wheelie chair.

 

Mark adjusted himself from his position on his bed. Donghyuck had been doing homework but he paused for the sake of Mark’s burning issues. “Yeah.”

 

“But you dunno how to kiss?” the freshman asked, a hint of amusement dancing on his face. “You ever kiss anyone before?”

 

Mark rolled his eyes. “’Course I’ve kissed people before,” he replied. “Just not. . .”

 

“. . .Well,” Donghyuck finished. He was giggling now, the sight making Mark want to throw up. He was embarrassed—no, mortified. He shouldn’t be letting a little _freshman_ laugh at him.

 

“Shut up,” Mark mumbled to his laughing roommate. “It’s serious, I’m serious. Whaddaya think I should do?”

 

“Kiss your damn girlfriend, that’s what,” Donghyuck suggested as he laughed.

 

“She’ll break up with me!” Mark protested. “I’ll humiliate myself in front of her anyway.”

 

“Then you need practice,” Donghyuck concluded assertively.

 

“Hyuckie, I can’t practice. Isn’t that cheating?”

 

Donghyuck eyed him. “Cheating is doing it when it’s wrong. For the degradation of the other person,” he recited, as if quoting one of his psych books that he never read. “And this isn’t for her trouble. This is to help her, actually, so long as you know you won’t fall in love with the person you’re practicing with.”

 

“Fall in love?”

 

“Maybe you should ask Jungeunnie to practice love,” Donghyuck said. “I don’t think anyone else would be able to do it.”

 

“I’m not trying to practice love, Hyuckie,” Mark argued. “I’m trying to practice kissing. Who do I. . . y’know. . .”

 

“Kiss? Goddamn, you’re so awkward,” Donghyuck muttered. “Can’t believe someone like Jungeunnie is your girlfriend. And you should practice on me.”

 

Mark nearly fell off the bed. “You? Hyuck. . .”

 

“I’m serious, hyung,” Donghyuck insisted. “It’s no-strings-attached, and convenient. C’mere.”

 

“No.”

 

“You wanna kiss Jungeun the way you do now? Go ahead. She’s not my girlfriend.” Donghyuck’s voice etched with sarcasm.

 

“Shouldn’t it be on a bed?” Mark asked sheepishly. 

 

Donghyuck perked up at this. “Great decision, hyung.” He tossed the stress ball on his bed and sat in front of Mark, who was lying on his side with his elbow propping up his head lazily. “Now kiss me.”

 

“Just. . . just like that?”

 

“The best way to practice is to do it,” Donghyuck stated truthfully. He leaned forward and took Mark’s cheeks in his hands. “Pretend I’m Jungeunnie. Kiss me.”

 

So Mark placed his hands gingerly on Donghyuck’s neck and brought him closer. Mark watched as Donghyuck closed his eyes, so he mimicked the motion. His lips bumped Donghyuck’s messily—not the “hot” kind of messy, but the “inexperienced loser” kind of messy. He was expected his roommate to pull away and chastise him but he didn’t. Instead, he kissed Mark a little deeper, moving his hands slowly from his cheeks to wrap around his neck. Then, he pulled away almost reluctantly. Not too much though, just a centimeter or two, so their noses were almost touching.

 

“How bad was I?”

 

“Out of ten?” Donghyuck’s voice was nothing above a whisper.

 

“Sure.”

 

“Probably a six. But that’s above halfway, hyung.”

 

“That’s 60%. That’s a failing grade, Hyuckie.” 

 

“Yeah, but can’t you bring failing grades up?” Donghyuck prompted, moving himself so that he straddled Mark effortlessly. 

 

“Well. . .” Mark shifted uneasily. “Depends on the class.”

 

“Hyung.”

 

“Sorry,” Mark murmured. “Let’s just get on with it, can’t we?”

 

“Sure,” Donghyuck agreed. “First step is to put your hands on my waist. She’ll love that. Then,” he paused, waiting for Mark to obey. He did, and Donghyuck continued, “you need to take one of your hands off and bring me closer.”

 

Mark obeyed, once again. He brought Donghyuck’s face so close to his that their noses were almost touching but didn’t kiss him. He just stayed there awkwardly, awaiting further instruction from the confident freshman hovering over him.

 

“Now you kiss me,” Donghyuck said, and followed up quickly, reminding Mark to be slow and cautious. “She needs to be comfortable,” he had explained in a haste before they kissed again.

 

This time, their kiss was slow and sweet, Mark following a steady pace Donghyuck set. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as their first one—Mark was still getting secondhand embarrassment. However, his mind was wiped clean when Donghyuck gave a small, almost inaudible, moan.

 

He pulled away instantly, startled. “Are you alright? Hyuck?”

 

“Jungeun,” Donghyuck corrected. “Don’t call me Hyuck. Pretend I’m Jungeun.”

 

 _You’re not. . ._ But Mark kept his mouth shut and nodded. “Should I kiss you again?”

 

“Yeah,” Donghyuck replied quickly. “And don’t be startled next time. Those kinds of noises are _hot_. If she wanted you to stop, she would tell you.”

 

“Why do you have so much experience?” Mark asked, only half-joking.

 

“Just shut up and do as I say,” Donghyuck murmured, pressing his lips to Mark’s again. Then, he pulled away instantly.

 

“Problem?”

 

“Do you know how to use tongue?”

 

Mark swallowed. “Tongue?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Um. . . I bet I was drunk, but. . .”

 

Donghyuck huffed in annoyance. “Just. . . follow me.”

 

So Mark did. Donghyuck licked at his lower lip, for what Mark assumed was asking for entrance. Uneasily, he opened his mouth just a bit and Donghyuck went in, the close proximity making his gasps and moans sound hotly in Mark’s ear.

 

Mark tried to mimic Donghyuck’s motions, lacing his tongue with the younger’s and letting out his own sounds, all-too-similar to Donghyuck. When they pulled away, there was a small sting of saliva connecting their lips.

 

“Ew,” Mark whispered, licking his lips to break it.

 

“It’s kinda hot,” Donghyuck stated with a snicker. “You’re just. . . not. But I’m proud—you came pretty far. You’re good at tongue. Now go kiss her, you’ll be fine.”

 

\--

 

Mark took Jungeun to the movies. It was a time when neither of them had classes, so it worked for both. They saw a horror movie, Mark hoping Jungeun would cuddle up to him, but he had no idea she wasn’t frightened at all. 

 

“I can’t believe you weren’t scared,” Mark complained as he and his girlfriend exited the theater.

 

“I can’t believe you were,” she replied sassily. “That wasn’t scary. You’re just a pussy.”

 

“Hey!” Mark cried, hitting her playfully. She laughed and pushed some blonde hair out of her face.

 

“I’m thinking about black,” she stated, twirling a lock of soft hair between her thumb and pointer finger.

 

“Black would look good,” Mark agreed. “You know what else would look good?”

 

“I know you’re gonna say me anyway, just cut the cheesy shit and—”

 

“I was gonna say going bald, but I guess that works too,” Mark said with a shrug.

 

“Hey, fuck you Mark Lee,” Jungeun cursed teasingly.

 

Mark laughed and then they entered the car. Jungeun buckled her seatbelt and then watching intently as Mark did the same, flipping the car on with the button by the steering wheel. He caught sight of her burning stare.

 

“What?” he asked innocently, knowing exactly what she wanted.

 

“Kiss me,” Jungeun insisted. “Why won’t you?” She wasn’t even blushing.

 

Mark, however, was a different story. “Um. . .” Just then, Donghyuck’s words came back to him. _Now kiss her, you’ll be fine._

 

“Are you scared or something?” Jungeun asked, eyes wide with curiosity. “It’s okay. I’ll kiss back. I appreciate you caring for me though.”

 

Mark bit his tongue in his mouth, trying to tell him he sucked _major_ ass at kissing, but kept his mouth shut. “Suh—sorry,” he whispered. “Just. . . just gimme a little bit.”

 

He wanted to kiss her but he wasn’t sure how it would go for him. Would he embarrass himself, or would he kiss her like he kissed Donghyuck? In the end, he twisted the keys, hoping the rumble of the engine drowned out all the awkward sounds he would make as he turned around and kissed her. Hard.

 

To her credit, she kissed back. Mark, thinking of Donghyuck, brought his hands to her cheeks, cradling them delicately.

 

And then, she gasped into the kiss and Mark just. . . forgot. He forgot who he was kissing for a split second and felt Donghyuck’s soft skin beneath his fingers, feathery hair brushing his forehead. He felt Donghyuck’s body grazing his and he gasped a little, the image of it playing in his mind.

 

He pulled away quickly, awkwardly, the moment he realized he wasn’t thinking about Jungeun. Why was he thinking about him? Donghyuck was alone back at their dorm, probably stressing over homework he stupidly put off, or maybe with that younger kid, the senior from his high school called Chenle. He wasn’t thinking about Mark, and Mark wasn’t in any position to think about him either. He fought to erase the image from his head, but it had been plastered to the back of his eyelids, so every time he looked at Jungeun, he saw Donghyuck.

 

He cleared his throat. “We should probably get going. You got AM classes tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah. You?”

 

“PM,” Mark replied. “I get to sleep in at least. Tomorrow’s my easiest day, I only got one class.”

 

“Then they all spring on you, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Mark muttered. “At least tomorrow’s Friday.”

 

Jungeun nodded. “At least,” she agreed with a shrug.

 

\--

 

Jungeun lived in a small apartment outside of campus with her friend, Jinsoul, a junior who was way out of Mark’s league. She got out quickly, explaining that she would’ve invited him in if Jinsoul hadn’t been there. Jinsoul was like an older sister to Jungeun and was incredibly protective over her. This, naturally, established a strict _no boys_ rule that Jungeun said Jinsoul always broke. 

 

“Thanks for tonight,” Jungeun said with a small smile. “It was fun. I bet you can get better at kissing.” She winked at him before leaving into the tall apartment complex, leaving Mark in a bit of clouded, stunned silence.

 

“Get better at kissing,” Mark repeated to himself, dejected. _So I wasn’t good enough?_ He knew this meant more practice, but not on Jungeun. On Donghyuck. He couldn’t express how he felt about this, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. He gripped the steering wheel roughly the entire way back to the dorm.

 

\--

 

“More practice,” Mark announced as he entered the room. Donghyuck, lying on his bed with his computer on his chest, barely flinched. His earphones were in. “More practice,” Mark reiterated a little louder.

 

Donghyuck removed his earbuds slowly. “What was that?”

 

“I need more practice,” Mark repeated bitterly. “I kissed her tonight and fucking embarrassed myself. She said I could get better at kissing with her.”

 

“You’re pathetic,” Donghyuck said with a laugh. He closed his computer screen and slipped it on the nightstand. Then, he sat up cross-legged as if waiting patiently. He looked like a three-year-old awaiting a seat on Santa’s lap.

 

“Now?” Mark asked quietly.

 

“When else? I don’t have any homework left and you’ve got PM classes tomorrow. Do you think I’m stupid?” Donghyuck asked with a laugh.

 

Mark swallowed. “Okay.” He felt a growing sense of excitement in his belly. Kissing Donghyuck felt like a sort of sin, a degrading pleasure that turned Mark’s insides around. He didn’t feel it with Jungeun. He just felt like he was _expected_ to kiss Jungeun the same way he was _expected_ to finish a thesis paper for a class on time. 

 

Mark laid on the bed and Donghyuck crawled on top of him, lacing his fingers in Mark’s. The gesture was too sweet and couple-ish, and Mark moved his hands so they weren’t touching his roommate’s.

 

Donghyuck frowned. “What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s too. . . intimate,” Mark mumbled, skipping over the final syllable as if he was saying a curse word.

 

“Intimate?”

 

“Like we’re together,” Mark offered. “We’re not. We just. . . do this kinda stuff. For practice, not for being together.”

 

“I do this for you so you won’t humiliate yourself,” Donghyuck argued teasingly. “Not for me. And remember, I’m _Jungeun_ not Donghyuck.” He leaned forward without warning and pressed his lips to Mark’s. Mark kissed him back hungrily.

 

“Hyuckie, Hyuckie, Hyuckie,” Mark repeated involuntarily. It wasn’t his fault—the way Donghyuck’s hips felt against his own and the way he laced his fingers in Mark’s hair was pure sin. He couldn’t think about anything else.

 

Mark’s hands traveled to Donghyuck’s waist before he pulled away. “Did you get all that? You were pretty good.”

 

“What?”

 

“My English professor says the best way to teach is to immerse,” Donghyuck explained. “Like if you learn a new language, you should visit a country that primarily speaks it. That was a lesson hyung, did you understand it?”

 

“Making out? It was pretty well-taught I suppose. A good technique. I think I’ve got the hang of it,” Mark replied. “But there’s no harm in more practice. I don’t wanna embarrass myself again.”

 

“Hyung, I can’t devote my nights to this,” Donghyuck complained with a frown. “There’s a party tonight at Taeyongie’s. Hyung invited me and I really wanna go.”

 

“A senior party?” Mark asked skeptically. “And at a frat house? I dunno Hyuckie. . . it seems pretty farfetched that they would invite a freshman to those sorts of things. They don’t even invite me.”

 

“Hyunggggg~~,” Donghyuck whined. “I wanna go, I might meet someone!”

 

“Yeah, a senior,” Mark argued. “Taeyong’s a nice guy, but he’s not nice enough to invite a freshman to a senior party. Did you. . . happen to be near him while he was talking to someone else about the party? Maybe he didn’t want you to feel left out.”

 

“I wasn’t!” Donghyuck insisted. 

 

Mark sighed. “Are there any other freshmen going? Jeno or Jaemin? Renjun?” 

 

“Don’t know,” Donghyuck admitted. “Maybe you can come with me, hyung?”

 

“I wasn’t invited, Hyuck.”

 

“Doesn’t matter, you can be a friend that I wanted to bring. It’s just like an underclassmen party except without the underclassmen.” Donghyuck pressed his lips to Mark’s in an effort to persuade the older.

 

“It’s not and you know it, Hyuck,” Mark argued. “Under and upperclassmen parties are two different things. And underclassmen don’t usually go to upperclassmen parties. Sometimes they invite girls but that’s a different story.”

 

“Taeyong wouldn’t invite me if he didn’t want me there,” Donghyuck assured. “I wanna go and you can come with me. You’re more upperclassman than me.”

 

Mark bit his lower lip, still staring up at Donghyuck, who was slowly inching off of him, hinting at him to hurry up. Mark’s eyes followed the freshman’s every move as he changed into a different outfit, perhaps to fit in with the taller, crazier upperclassmen. “Is this a good idea, Hyuckie?”

 

Donghyuck nodded. “Look hyung, you’re not the only one who’s allowed to have a girlfriend. Don’t you think I know I’m gonna embarrass myself at that party? Girls like guys that are fun-loving, and I’m sure there will be underclassmen girls. Maybe Jungeun would be there, and you can hang out with her the whole time.”

 

“Doubt it.” Mark sat up in the bed, searching Donghyuck for any signs of regret. He didn’t seem to care that much that he would be embarrassing himself for a girl that might find it endearing. Mark, however, did. He decided to take it upon himself that Donghyuck was not to drink any alcohol nor take any blunts or vapes. Maybe Donghyuck would hate him, but he would ultimately be glad Mark decided to protect him.

 

“How do you know seniors anyway?” Mark asked suddenly.

 

“Do you know Johnny Seo?” Donghyuck asked. “He was my English tutor last semester. Did you know he’s American?”

 

“And I’m Canadian, Hyuck, I speak English. Why didn’t you just go to me?” Mark asked, irritably.

 

“Because,” Donghyuck said with a frown. “I’m your kissing tutor. You shouldn’t be my tutor in anything.”

 

\--

 

You could hear the booming bass from a mile away as Mark and Donghyuck walked down the campus to the frat house. Donghyuck smiled, tensing excitedly.

 

“Hyuck, you can always turn around. . .” Mark mumbled, still trying to help his failed case.

 

“No,” Donghyuck insisted. “Just follow me hyung, and you’ll be okay.”

 

“I’m not worried about myself,” Mark murmured but Donghyuck had begun ignoring him.

 

“Hyuckie!” someone on the porch called, waving their hand. “You came!”

 

“Hyung!” Donghyuck called. He was about the run over to the senior when Mark took his hand and laced his fingers in it. “What’s wrong?” Donghyuck asked, perplexed.

 

“Take it slow,” Mark warned. “I’m serious Hyuck, not every senior means well.”

 

Donghyuck swallowed and tugged Mark forward. He didn’t let go of Mark’s hand once they walked up the stairs onto the porch to see the group of boys sitting around lazily, passing around a vape stick. Most of them were talking loudly to combat the music while two of them seemed to be in their own little world, hands tangled in each other’s hair and lips locked.

 

“Hyung, this is Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta, and Sicheng. This is Mark. He’s a sophomore,” Donghyuck introduced and the seniors all gave meek greetings, minus the boys kissing, who didn’t notice. Mark’s eyes skipped over a tall, handsome boy with a blunt hanging out of his mouth. He had the aura of an American and Mark concluded that he must be Johnny.

 

“Yuta, Sicheng, say hi,” Taeyong, the only one Mark had known prior to now, nudging the two boys.

 

The boys looked Mark and Donghyuck up and down before saying a quick hi and continuing where they left off.

 

“Excuse them, Mark,” Taeyong apologized. Mark knew Taeyong—he was a dance major who had talked to just about every single person on campus. 

 

“Hyung, can I talk to you real quick?” Mark asked and Taeyong nodded, standing up. When Donghyuck tried to follow, Mark released his hand and told him sternly to _wait_.

 

Taeyong followed Mark out a little past the frat house so it was easy to speak at a normal volume without being drowned out by a rap beat.

 

“Why did you invite Donghyuck? You know he’s just a freshman,” Mark asked, cutting right to the chase.

 

“Mark, I’m graduating soon and I like Donghyuck. He’s cute and he’s fun. Nobody will care that he’s a freshie, not that they’ll even notice,” Taeyong replied. “I wanna be at a party with him before graduating. You understand?”

 

“No,” Mark said. “He’s just a freshman, he’s only been to lame underclassmen parties. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s gonna humiliate himself and get drunk off of whatever you’re drinking.”

 

“Water,” Taeyong replied. “I don’t drink. And I don’t think Donghyuckie will really be one for vaping. Don’t worry about him, Mark. Why’re you so protective over him? I’ve seen you at parties like these. He doesn’t do anything.”

 

Mark bit his lower lip before replying. “I. . . he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

 

“Do you have feelings for him?” Taeyong deadpanned.

 

“What?”

 

“Feelings. For Donghyuck. Do you have them?”

 

“Nuh—no, I’ve got a girlfriend.”

 

“Then why were you holding his hand when you guys walked up?”

 

Mark swallowed. “I. . . I didn’t want him to get lost. . .”

 

“Hmm,” Taeyong murmured. “Personally, anyone would’ve thought you two were together, but I guess if you really like your girlfriend. . . you shouldn’t be acting like you’re in love with Donghyuck. You’re like an overprotective boyfriend.”

 

“Hyung!”

 

“I’m serious!” Taeyong defended. “Honestly, you’re a pretty shitty overprotective boyfriend anyway because it doesn’t look like Donghyuck’s even on the porch anymore.” He pointed over Mark’s shoulder to the house. Mark whirled around, terrified.

 

“Shit shit!” he cried. “Fuck you hyung, why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” He didn’t even give Taeyong any time to defend himself before turning around and sprinting back in the house. 

 

It was loud, incredibly loud and so dark. There were so many moving people so tightly packed together like sardines that it was impossible to go more than a few steps before being sealed in. It smelled staunchly of marijuana and alcohol and Mark could barely see the shirt color of the person in directly in front of him.

 

“Donghyuck!” he called but it was in vain. He might as well be whispering because there was no way anyone would be able to hear it. Instead, he decided to veer off to where there was a table piled high with booze, thinking that anyone who wanted to have a good one-night-stand would start there.

 

Mark poured himself a drink first, wanting to at least feel a little less uptight than he did now. It was disgusting, like watered-down piss but he downed it nonetheless. Then, he kept searching for his dauntless roommate. Just then, he saw Donghyuck—or someone who _looked_ like Donghyuck—sitting on a couch, sweet-talking to two girls who were upperclassmen with his arms around their shoulders. Mark could tell from their outfits, their hair, their makeup, that they were way out of Donghyuck’s league. Plus, the freshman looked a little tipsy, holding a red Solo cup in either hand.

 

“Lee Donghyuck!” Mark called over the music. Donghyuck’s head snapped up, almost on cue. He pushed through a final sea of people before finally spitting out right in front of the couch. 

 

“Hyung!” Donghyuck acknowledged with a clueless smile. “How is the party? It’s going great for me!” He nudged one of the girls who gave him a cheeky smirk.

 

“I need to talk to you!” Mark yelled, trying to drown out the music. “Now!”

 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. He whispered something to each of the girls before standing up and following Mark out the door. They walked along the side of the frat house until the music was muted and the stench was undetectable. Then, Mark stopped and turned around to be face-to-face with his roommate.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” 

 

Donghyuck blinked. “Whaddaya mean? I’m having a good time. Those girls seemed really—”

 

“Really pretty? Really popular? Really outta your league?”

 

“What?” Donghyuck asked slowly. “Are you saying I can’t date pretty girls? Hyung. . .”

 

Mark shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I meant that—”

 

“That no matter my age, popular girls are too. . . too. . . _fucking popular_ for me to be with? Thanks hyung, I’m glad you’re supportive,” he spat sarcastically.

 

“Hyuckie, I’m saying this isn’t _you_ ,” Mark explained, trying to compose himself. “No offense but you’re not. . .”

 

“A guy that girls like, yeah, I got that,” Donghyuck bit sarcastically. “So what if that’s not me? Who the fuck are you to say who I am and who I’m not?”

 

“Hyuck, I know who you are,” Mark responded. 

 

Donghyuck leaned up against the side of the house, swirling the drink in his hand. “Don’t say that, hyung, you have no idea.”

 

Then, Mark leaned forward and kissed Donghyuck passionately, holding his waist gently. Donghyuck melted into the kiss, draping his arms around Mark’s shoulders, still holding the drink. Mark didn’t entirely know why, but all of a sudden, it was as if they weren’t in a heated argument and they were back at their dorm with their _kissing practice_. Mark felt like he had improved greatly with Donghyuck’s help—he’d initiated this kiss in the heat of the moment and it felt like it was _supposed_ to happen. He wasn’t sure why, but it was supposed to. Donghyuck didn’t pull away or push Mark off of him—in fact, he kissed back hungrily. It might’ve been the alcohol in Mark’s system, but for once he felt like this was more than just a surprise lesson or any sort of immersion. This felt like something _more_ , something desperate between two desperate people. Two people whose bodies belonged together, whose limbs belonged entwined. 

 

Shaking the feeling off, Mark pulled away. “How was that?” he asked slowly. 

 

Donghyuck’s eyes searched Mark’s intently. “Hyung, that was perfect. Kiss me again, will you? Almost made me forget I’m supposed to be angry at you.”

 

\--

 

And so, the lessons continued. The romances came and went between Donghyuck, who was now and junior and Mark a senior. There was nothing that changed between Mark and Jungeun, however, except that they would take minor breaks in their relationship to get internships and classes in order. But, there was one major hiccup that happened in the middle of Mark’s junior year.

 

Mark and Jungeun were in the library late at night, idea of getting caught exciting them even more. Mark felt like he was doing well, kissing her, gripping her waist and enjoying her breathy gasps of his name. And then, he kissed her a bit harder and it slipped out—just one little “Hyuckie. . .”

 

“What?” Jungeun had asked, pulling away.

 

Mark had felt the heat rise to his cheeks, trying to find an excuse. “It’s a curse word in English,” he explained hastily.

 

“Curse word?”

 

“Yeah, you know how there’s so much English slang these days. . .”

 

Jungeun knew Donghyuck, had met him a couple of times and they actually got along. Luckily, she didn’t know Mark called him _Hyuck_ or _Hyuckie_ so she just gave a small nod.

 

“Okay,” she whispered skeptically before kissing him again.

 

So it was nothing different after that. Even though he _had_ said Donghyuck’s name while kissing someone who wasn’t Donghyuck, he still had gotten away with it. He told Donghyuck about the whole thing when he came back and Donghyuck had laughed for hours. Whenever Jungeun was over at the same time as Donghyuck, Mark made extra care to call Donghyuck by his full name and only his full name. And they still continued the practice.

 

Mark insisted he needed it and Donghyuck didn’t care. He went along with everything Mark said, even when he trailed kisses down his neck and pulled him into bed for a lazy makeout session before wrapping his arms around him and cuddling him to sleep.

 

“Are you sure you still want practice?” Donghyuck asked one mid-May evening. “I haven’t taught you anything. There’s nothing else to teach.”

 

“It’s just practice,” Mark assured. “I’ll be glad I’ve had it. I think. . . I think I might wanna marry her one day.”

 

“Marry her?”

 

“Yeah. At least, once we graduate and get our futures together. Start a family maybe. Can we just start practicing already?” he asked, desperate to change the awkward subject. He’d never told Donghyuck of his future plans—he was graduating in a few weeks and figured his roommate wouldn’t care, considering he still had one more year left at college.

 

“No.”

 

“What?” Usually, Donghyuck was cool with random lessons on the spot. Usually.

 

“I said no. You have someone you love, apparently,” Donghyuck said coolly. “Go practice on her. You shouldn’t kiss people you don’t love, it could be cheating.” Donghyuck stood up fuming and left the dorm, slamming the door behind him.

 

 _Cheating? Wasn’t this a no-strings-attached sort of thing?_ “Hyuck!” It was in vain, however, because Donghyuck was already gone. But his words still echoed in Mark’s ear—You shouldn’t kiss people you don’t love, it could be cheating.

 

\--

 

“He doesn’t get it, Jaeminnie,” Donghyuck complained. “I don’t know how someone could be so blind.”

 

“Blind to what exactly?” Jaemin asked. 

 

Donghyuck had sought refuge in one of his closest friends’ dorm, with hopes he would understand. Jaemin’s roommate, Jeno, was out at an orientation for an internship at a big company, so they were alone in the dorm.

 

“You know,” Donghyuck stated. “It.”

 

“Hyung, I don’t know. You come in all pissy and expecting me to know all your bitchy problems. Tell me or don’t, but don’t get mad when I’m in the dark.”

 

Donghyuck sighed. He leaned into Jaemin’s pillow, inhaling the younger’s scent. Jaemin frowned, sitting on the other end of the bed, waiting patiently for an answer. 

 

“I’m in love with him,” Donghyuck mumbled. “And he still loves her.”

 

Jaemin’s face softened. “Oh hyung. . . I’m sorry. Did you tell him?”

 

“’Course not. He’s not into guys anyway.”

 

Jaemin raised an eyebrow. “He made out with you a hundred times. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t really scream _heterosexual_ to me.”

 

“It was no-strings-attached,” Donghyuck explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But I got strings.”

 

“Fucking strings,” Jaemin agreed.

 

“Fucking strings,” Donghyuck repeated with a small smile.

 

“You should tell him,” Jaemin suggested. “And if it gets too awkward or if he turns you down, come live with Jeno and me and wait until the air clears. Isn’t he graduating soon anyway?”

 

“One month,” Donghyuck said. “One month ‘til graduation.”

 

“So tell him. Wouldn’t you kick yourself if you waited an hour before he moved out and he ended up having feelings for you?”

 

“Nana. . .”

 

“Only Jeno calls me Nana,” Jaemin pouted. “Hyuckie.”

 

“Hey, that’s. . .” _Mark’s nickname._ “Jaeminnie, I’ll be right back.”

 

Donghyuck walked down the hall, reciting what he was going to say to Mark when he saw him.

 

“First, apologize,” he whispered to himself. “Then just. . .”

 

“Hyuckie! There you are!”

 

And then, Donghyuck’s plan was thrown to the wind when he let his body do the work. On impulse, he gripped Mark’s face tightly, bringing him in for a passionate kiss that he hoped screamed _more than friends_.

 

And Mark, driven by instinct, deepened the kiss, holding Donghyuck’s waist and bringing him closer so he was towering over him. “You scared me,” he chuckled when he pulled away. “I thought we were done with surprise lessons?”

 

“Hyung, it wasn’t a lesson,” Donghyuck whispered, his voice as light and airy as a feather. “It was real.”

 

“What?”

 

“That wasn’t a lesson, hyung. It was real and it was my real feelings for you and I just need you to know that I love you before you graduate and I hope you don’t marry her because I want you and I have to go now, hyung,” Donghyuck blurted before sprinting back to the safety Jaemin’s room.

 

\--

 

Mark was contemplating. It had been exactly 48 hours since Donghyuck’s sudden confession and Mark found himself contemplating a lot within that timespan.

 

Did he love Donghyuck? Truly, he didn’t know. His brain told himself no, but his heart willed itself towards his roommate. He found himself thinking about when he kissed Jungeun, how he felt no real _need_ to kiss her. She was that assignment Mark put to the side, procrastinating while he did something else that was Lee Donghyuck. And then, the due date for that assignment would be fast-approaching and Mark would panic and bullshit the whole thing within an hour, cranking out an essay that was B- at best. An essay he would rather not turn in, nor do in the first place.

 

And Donghyuck. . . Donghyuck distracted him from the essay. Donghyuck traced his fingers down his arms so that his touch lingered and set fire to Mark’s skin, making him beg for more, all under the guise that it was _research_ for a certain _assignment_. So he came to a consensus while throwing a stress ball up and down on his bed in an empty dorm, feeling especially empty without Donghyuck’s presence, empty without them making out on Mark’s bed, arms around each other and small giggles in between kisses. 

 

He loved Donghyuck. He truly loved Lee Donghyuck.

 

Knowing exactly where Donghyuck was, he sprinted to Jaemin and Jeno’s dorm, pushing all thoughts of Jungeun to the side. He knocked on the door breathlessly and then keeled over on his knees to catch his breath.

 

“Hyung?”

 

Giving Donghyuck one look when he came to the door, Mark took his wrist and led him down the hall. He led him all the way back to their dorm room, ignoring Donghyuck’s questions. Then, he closed the door, pushed Donghyuck against it and kissed him harder and hotter than ever before.

 

“Hyung, what’s going—”

 

“I love you, Hyuckie,” Mark whispered. “I’m so sorry for making you wait for me. I’m sorry for being blind. It’s always been you.”

 

Donghyuck pulled Mark in for another kiss. “I love you too, hyung. Will you break up with her?”

 

“I’m meeting her at the library tomorrow,” Mark explained in between kisses. “She deserves an honest breakup, not one over text.”

 

“Good. Kiss me again, hyung, you’ve gotten amazing at it.”

 

“All because you helped me.”

**Author's Note:**

> My computer is currently being fixed (this is a loaner) so I may not be writing as much, apologies!


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